Shuttle XPC SZ170R8 V2: Small but Powerful

Compact, efficient and incredibly powerful if you spring for the right parts, the Shuttle XPS SZ170R8 V2 has a lot going for it. The small form factor of the motherboard does not take away from its power. Even better is its capability as a portable machine.

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Student Council Presidents are usually those student leaders who are well-organized and have natural leadership skills. There are a lot of anime characters who have the traits to become an excellent Student Council President, so Charapedia asked which characters would make the best one. 10,000 people (46.2% male, 53.7% female) all voted for a total of...

After the colossal flop of the Optimus Pad back in 2011, LG made the radical decision to indefinitely pull the plug on Android tablets. Still, it always seemed like a matter of time until the Koreans were to make a comeback, with rumors of a new slate gaining traction the last month or so.

And now the G Pad is as good as confirmed, following Bluetooth SIG certification and an exclusive report from Greek website TechBlog. Ze Greeks have a clean as a whistle track record with similar spills of information, so, while we advise you to keep the salt shakers nearby, you may as well consider the following intel set in stone.

First things first, let’s underline LG is planning to make quite the waves with the G Pad and not just target the low-end, budget-conscious tablet market niche. Ergo, you’ll be getting a very neat 8.3-inch screen with 1,920 x 1,200 pixels resolution, similar in crispness to that of the second-gen Nexus 7, but more generous in size.

The only piece of hardware “confirmed” to find its place beneath the tab’s hood is 2 GB of RAM, while the quad-core processor is for now the biggest question mark. If the G Pad and V-500 turn out to be one and the same, chances are we’re looking at a Snapdragon S4 Pro chip here, although I wouldn’t rule out a 600 or even an 800 at this time.

In terms of design, people that claim to have been in contact with the 8-incher say it’s uber-thin and lightweight, rocking narrow bezels and being so compact on the whole that it can be transported in your regular trouser back pockets.

Sounds a bit far-fetched, but the craziest part is yet to come. Apparently, LG’s G Pad will not only come with optional cellular connectivity, but also voice call support. Can you imagine taking calls on such a ginormous device? I can’t, though maybe it’s because I don’t dig larger than 5-inch phones either.

On the software side of things, Jelly Bean is a must for any respected Android-based tab coming this day and age. However, will it be 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3? That is the question.

As you may have guessed already, mum’s the word on G Pad pricing, while the official unveiling has been pinpointed for next month’s IFA. Sounds like the Berlin stage is getting crazy crowded.